


Plus One

by kaci3PO



Category: Scott Pilgrim (Comics)
Genre: Chromatic Yuletide, F/F, Femmeslash Yuletide 2014, Misses Clause Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2014-12-04
Packaged: 2018-02-28 03:45:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2717657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaci3PO/pseuds/kaci3PO
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Backstage at a Stephen Stills concert, Kim and Knives run into each other for the first time in a few years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Plus One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [coyotesuspect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/coyotesuspect/gifts).



"Stephen!" Knives says excitedly. He grins back at her as she rushes across the room to pull him into a hug. "Two months is too long for no contact," she says. Her face is still buried into his chest, so she's not entirely sure he hears her, but she can chide him for the lack of phone calls later.

"Were we awful?" he asks by way of greeting. "We were awful, right?"

"Yes," she says with as much fake-sincerity as she can manage. "The band was abysmal. All that cheering? That was the crowd throwing you a bone."

He frowns at her momentarily before realizing she's joking, and then knocks her gently on the shoulder.

"See?" he says, turning his head slightly to call over his shoulder, "Knives says we were good."

Knives leans around him and feels her breath catch in her throat when she sees who he's talking to. It's so dark in Stephen's dressing room that Kim hadn't noticed at first, but sure enough, there's Kim Pine on the couch, looking bored with a notebook on her lap.

"Hi, Knives," Kim says, then to Stephen, "Literally the entire point of me writing a review of your show is to give _my_ opinion, not someone else's."

Stephen frowns at her, then turns back to Knives. "Ignore her," he says. "Those who can't do become critics."

"Kim was a great drummer," Knives says without realizing she was going to speak until the words were already out of her mouth. She flushes, but doesn't avoid Kim's gaze when Kim favors her with a rare smile.

Stephen sighs heavily. "Whatever. I have to go sign autographs for awhile. Don't go anywhere, okay? We'll go out for Thai when I get back."

"Sure," Knives says, while Kim gives a noncommittal shrug and jots something down in her notebook.

Knives takes a moment after he leaves to steel herself, then joins Kim on the couch and says, "I didn't know you were a journalist now."

"I'm not, really," Kim says. "It's more of a blog. I started it when I was at my parents' after…" she falters for a moment before plowing on, " _after_. Just me ranting about bands. People liked it. Bands started inviting me to their shows to review them. Turns out I really can make a living out of judging everyone." She laughs and Knives can't remember the last time she really heard Kim do that. It's startling how well happiness seems to fit her.

"So you get to go to concerts for free?" she asks, which isn't really what she wants to say but she thinks it's probably something Kim expects from her.

"Yeah," Kim says. "Why?"

"I just...think that's cool," Knives says awkwardly.

They're both silent for a moment until Kim says, "Oh, you want me to get you in, too."

"No—" Knives starts, but it's a lie, because of course that would be awesome. No one would say no to that.

"Sometimes I get an extra pass for a plus one," Kim says thoughtfully. "Do you still live in the city? I could give it to you, if you wanted."

"I would love to be your plus one," Knives says excitedly, and then they both look away in opposite directions.

"How's college going?" Kim asks after the silence becomes unbearable. "You're a senior this year, right?"

"Yeah," Knives says. "It's pretty great. I did an internship at a record company last year. I think I want to get into producing." She casts a quick look at Kim and then plows on, "There's this indie label that I like, focuses on queercore? I'm hoping they'll hire me when I graduate, so I'm trying to get more involved in queer activism. I'm president of our LGBT club. Joseph said it would look good on my resume."

"Oh," Kim says. "That's cool."

Knives studies her, looking for a reaction, but gets nothing. "Do you—" she starts, just as Kim says, "I should work on this post before Stephen gets back."

"Oh," Knives says. "Sure."

Kim turns to her notes, jotting things down and crossing them out just as hastily. A few lines get emphatically underlined. Knives can only watch her work for so long before she feels like a creep, so she pulls out her phone and fires off a text to her best friend and vice-president, Dez, lamenting that the universe has conspired to put her alone in a room with Kim Pine but did not deign to give her the grace of liquid courage. She knew she should've had something to drink earlier during the gig. If she'd known it would be more than just her and Stephen tonight, she would've.

Dez responds quickly, informing her that ze is counting on her to make this happen, since zir's own boyfriend goes to school three hours away, "and I need to live vicariously through you."

Knives laughs, then stops abruptly when she notices that Kim is looking at her curiously. "Sorry," she says. "I'll be quiet."

"You always did say that," Kim muses. "Sometimes you actually managed it."

"I'm very mature now," Knives says. "You'd be surprised."

"Hm," Kim says, and turns back to her notebook.

Knives fantasizes about melting into the couch.

After a moment, Kim puts down the notebook with a definitive _thump_ and pulls out a smartphone instead, idly flipping through several screens until she finally looks up and says, "I have two tickets to Dragon Rage next week. Do you want to be my plus one?"

Knives looks up, surprised, and Kim meets her eyes with a steady gaze. Knives opens her mouth once, twice, licks her lips, and then tries a third time before finally managing to ask, "Your plus one?"

Kim winces like it pains her, and for the first time since Knives met her, she actually sounds just as awkward as Knives feels. "Yes," she says. "That's what I'm asking."

"Oh," Knives says. "Yes. I would — that would be great."

"Okay, then," Kim says, and turns back to her phone, quickly typing things in while glancing at her notebook. Knives watches her, a slow, steady smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, and gives up holding it back when she sees the corners of Kim's mouth twitch in effort of holding back her own grin.

When Stephen Stills returns twenty minutes later, it's to find two women looking in opposite directions but both fighting back smiles. Knives will explain it to him later, when it's just the two of them, but for now she just takes his arm and says, "Let's go have dinner, rock star."

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Yuletide, coyotesuspect!


End file.
